For immediate release
Vancouver: A brand new centre that provides patients at Vancouver
General Hospital (VGH) and their families access to technology and
specialized information officially opens today, VGH & UBC
Hospital Foundation announced. The new facility will be named the
CIBC Centre for Patients and Families in honour of CIBC's generous
contribution of $500,000 towards the centre.
"Patients from across B.C. come to VGH to receive complex, highly
specialized care," said Anne Sutherland Boal, Chief Operating
Officer, Vancouver Coastal Health. "This new centre provides
patients and their families with the resources to learn more about
their complex illness or disease, to effectively navigate the
health care system and to connect them with loved ones elsewhere."
"We believe strongly in supporting initiatives that matter most to
our customers and employees. This contribution aligns to our
history of supporting health care facilities across the Province,"
said Irene Ing, CIBC Vice-President, Vancouver and the Lower
Mainland. "We are very pleased to partner with the VGH and UBC
Hospital Foundation on this new facility which will provide
patients at Vancouver General Hospital and their families the
necessary information and resources to make the right health care
choices for them."
"VGH is where B.C. receives 'super-specialized' care. We would like
to thank CIBC for their generous donation to build and equip this
welcoming centre to help patients and their families obtain the
latest information and stay connected," says Ron Dumouchelle,
President & CEO, VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation.
The new 1,200 sq. ft. centre offers the services of an on-site,
full-time library technician to help patients and families from
across B.C. find reliable, targeted health information and
knowledge about their diagnosis and treatment as well as provide
access to existing community-based resources to make timely,
informed decisions. Volunteers will also be on-site to help answer
general questions, guide self-directed learning and use the
computer to access the Internet. Approximately 1,000 people per
month are expected to use the new centre.
The room is equipped with four public computers, Internet access, a
printer, a TV and a DVD player to view educational materials. An
additional computer will be available outside the centre for use
24/7. Non-English speaking patients and families will have access
to interpreter services.
The centre will also assist health care professionals at VGH with a
variety of library services for medical literature to provide to
patients and clients.
The centre is open Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. except
Thursday (open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.). Further information about
services and information can be found at
www.vch.ca/centreforpatients
Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) is responsible for the delivery of
$2 billion in community, hospital and residential care services to
over one million people in communities from Richmond through
Vancouver, the North Shore, Sunshine Coast, Sea to Sky corridor,
Powell River, Bella Bella and Bella Coola.
VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation is a registered charity that
raises funding for the latest, most sophisticated medical
equipment, world-class research and improvements to patient care
for Vancouver General Hospital, UBC Hospital, GF Strong Rehab
Centre and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute. For more
than 25 years, the Foundation and its donors have been a bridge
between the essential health care governments provide and the most
advanced health care possible.
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For more information:
Jon Hicke
Director, Marketing & Communications
VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation
Tel: 604-875-5196
[email protected]
